A GREAT Dane breeder was handed a ban on keeping puppies by magistrates after she was found guilty of causing unnecessary suffering to a number of puppies in her care.
Magistrates at Llandrindod Wells found Valerie Whitehouse guilty of causing unnecessary suffering to animals after a week-long trial. Whitehouse breeds Great Danes under the Ebonory prefix and has links to several Great Dane clubs listed on her website, as well as several photographs of her dogs.

The bench imposed a rather unusual order on Whitehouse, aged 48, of Bequildy, Knighton, whereby they banned her from keeping puppies of six months or under for three years. This effectively prevented her from undertaking any breeding programme.

Whitehouse was also given an 18-month conditional discharge and ordered to pay £5,000 in costs.

The court heard that the RSPCA began investigating Whitehouse when it received reports about the condition of two puppies. Officers called at Whitehouse’s home and removed eighteen puppies aged between seven and nine months, which were taken into care for urgent veterinary attention.

Four seven-week-old puppies died soon afterwards, while all the dogs were emaciated, pot-bellied, had raw skin and were unable to stand or walk, said vet David Martin in evidence.
Their poor condition was due to rickets, caused by insufficient calcium in their diet, he said.
Whitehouse faced three charges of causing unnecessary suffering to animals and was convicted on each by the bench.

Magistrates almost immediately lifted the ban, pending an appeal against the verdict.